Chapter 40#

Taking Down That Gentleman (3)#

Shen Jue let go of Ji Lian’s sleeve, stared straight at him for a moment, then lowered his head even further.

Seeing that he wasn’t speaking, Ji Lian was momentarily stunned. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

As his words fell, he noticed Shen Jue’s head drop even lower.

Ji Lian thought for a moment, then simply crouched down, looking up from below. When Shen Jue saw him squat down, he turned his head away. Ji Lian leaned his face closer. “Shen Jue, talk to me.”

He was trying to force Shen Jue to give a reason, but as soon as he leaned in, Shen Jue flinched back in panic, his face flushing deeply, as if he couldn’t even bear to look directly at Ji Lian.

Ji Lian froze, a suspicion forming in his mind. He stared at Shen Jue, whose face was as vibrant as a peach blossom, and only after a long pause did he stammer out, “Forget it. If you don’t want to say, then don’t. But this matter is still far off—don’t rush into thinking too much.”

Ji Lian hadn’t expected Shen Jue to actually like him. His first reaction was disbelief; his second was that while Shen Jue liking him was surprising, it was also understandable. After all, here, Shen Jue had very few people he could talk to. Liu Xuan had grown up with Shen Jue and was probably like family to him, so naturally, Shen Jue wouldn’t develop romantic feelings for him. As for himself, Ji Lian considered himself quite decent. If not for his Celestial Body constitution, he would have long become a renowned figure in the martial world.

So if Shen Jue truly had feelings for him, it was possible—but Ji Lian was destined to disappoint him.

Ji Lian gave Shen Jue a deep, complex look—partly mocking, partly pitying. He felt that Shen Jue, despite his handsome face, wasn’t very bright.

Thus, he didn’t stay long and quickly found an excuse to leave. After a while, Liu Xuan returned on his own. He brought back some food, set it on the table, and without saying a word to Shen Jue, sat down on his own bed.

The room had two beds: the left one belonged to Liu Xuan, and the right one, against the wall, was Shen Jue’s.

Shen Jue glanced at Liu Xuan, then slowly got out of bed and shuffled over to the table. Before he could sit down, Liu Xuan suddenly threw the clothes he was folding onto the floor. “I didn’t bring that for you—what are you coming over for?”

Shen Jue paused mid-motion, then straightened up.

Liu Xuan glared at him irritably. “If you’re so close with Ji Lian, go let him wait on you. I can’t accommodate such a big shot here.”

He finished speaking and saw that Shen Jue was actually turning to leave. Liu Xuan’s eyes widened, and he strode over in a few steps, blocking Shen Jue’s path. “Where are you going?”

Shen Jue looked at him. “I’m hungry. Going out to find something to eat.”

“Didn’t I bring back the congee? Why are you going out? Are you not afraid of getting sick again after just starting to recover?” Liu Xuan scolded as he carefully helped Shen Jue back to his seat.

Liu Xuan was the classic case of a sharp tongue but a soft heart, which was why he offended so many people. He made Shen Jue sit down, fetched a damp towel to wipe his hands, and then shoved the spoon into his hand. “Eat.”

His tone was still harsh, but his movements were exceptionally gentle.

Shen Jue looked at the spoon in his hand, pressed his lips together, and began to drink the congee. Liu Xuan sat down beside him, staring fixedly at Shen Jue. Only after Shen Jue had finished half the bowl did he ask, “Do you really like Ji Lian?”

Shen Jue was silent for a moment before answering, “Brother Ji is a good person.”

Liu Xuan also thought Ji Lian was a decent person, but Ji Lian’s status in Shen Jue’s heart shouldn’t surpass his own. He had known Shen Jue for how long, and Ji Lian for how long? He prided himself on understanding Shen Jue—Shen Jue was slow to warm up to people. If not for their years of acquaintance, Shen Jue wouldn’t be so reliant on him. For Ji Lian to gain Shen Jue’s trust in such a short time, it was way too fast!

Just a moment ago, Liu Xuan thought Ji Lian was a good person, but now he felt Ji Lian’s methods were too slick.

With that, Liu Xuan became wary of Ji Lian, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, afraid the naive chick would be lured away by a nearby fox. Meanwhile, after Ji Lian concluded that Shen Jue liked him, he started scheming as well. He didn’t want to be liked by Shen Jue, fearing it would stir up trouble, so he decided to deliberately cool things off and stop visiting the courtyard where Shen Jue and Liu Xuan stayed.

Shen Jue recuperated at home for several days and eventually was able to move around normally. After recovering, the first thing on his mind was improving his martial arts. Ten Ultimates Island didn’t forbid Celestial Bodies from learning martial arts—in fact, it encouraged them. Each Celestial Body had a plaque that granted access to the island’s library, except for the top two floors, which they were forbidden from entering. They could freely study martial techniques from the other floors.

This was different from the small sect where Shen Jue and Liu Xuan had previously stayed.

That small sect had feared that if Shen Jue and Liu Xuan became too skilled, their ambitions would grow too large, making them hard to control. So they had only taught them the basics, which was one reason Shen Jue’s body was so frail.

Since he had a second chance, and he still needed to kill Sang Xinghe, he couldn’t afford to be too weak.

When Liu Xuan heard that Shen Jue wanted to go to the library, he was taken aback. “What are you going there for?”

“I heard that Ten Ultimates Island has many exquisite martial techniques. I plan to study them,” Shen Jue said. “If I ever encounter an enemy, I’ll have a way to protect myself.”

Liu Xuan knew very well that the stronger one’s martial arts, the better they could protect their own life. But they were Celestial Bodies. Once they bonded with someone, their internal energy would belong to that person, and they couldn’t keep it. No matter how powerful they became now, they’d just be working for someone else in the end.

Liu Xuan didn’t want to go, nor did he want Shen Jue to go. His plan was to bond with someone unimportant on Ten Ultimates Island. Among the Celestial Bodies here, there were many with superb martial skills. Those people would inevitably end up following important figures on the island and would likely suffer more. As for Ji Lian’s earlier mention of Sang Xinghe, Liu Xuan had thought it over for a long time and still didn’t include Sang Xinghe in his considerations.

That kind of person was destined to be a child of heaven, not someone ordinary people like them could attach themselves to.

Admittedly, Liu Xuan’s way of thinking was sometimes correct, but some things just couldn’t be avoided, no matter how hard you tried.

Shen Jue guessed that Liu Xuan didn’t want to go to the library, so he looked at him and said, “Then I’ll ask Brother Ji to go with me.”

Liu Xuan’s eyes widened, and he immediately stood up. “I’ll go with you.”

Shen Jue hummed in response. “You should rest here. Since you don’t like practicing martial arts anyway, I’ll just go find—”

“Why bother Ji Lian with this? I said I’ll go with you, and I will. Don’t worry, I’ll practice with you, alright?” Liu Xuan quickly grabbed his own plaque, put on his veiled hat, and then pulled Shen Jue out the door.

Whenever Celestial Bodies left their residential courtyard, they had to wear a veiled hat and their plaque to move around Ten Ultimates Island.

When disciples of Ten Ultimates Island saw someone wearing a veiled hat, they knew it was a Celestial Body and would naturally give way. Until the Island Master gave explicit orders, no one was allowed to approach a Celestial Body without permission.

There had once been a disciple who forcibly raped an unclaimed Celestial Body. When the Island Master found out, he executed the most severe punishment: not only was the man’s manhood severed, but his martial arts were also crippled, leaving him unable to practice ever again. Worse still, the Island Master had him thrown into a lowly brothel.

With that precedent, no one dared to touch a Celestial Body in private.

…

Liu Xuan and Shen Jue walked side by side on the road. Whenever he saw someone approaching, Liu Xuan would pull Shen Jue into a corner, waiting until they passed before they continued. In Liu Xuan’s mind, the fewer people they met, the better.

Thus, it took them a full half-hour to reach the library.

At the entrance, they presented their plaques to the guards for inspection before being allowed inside.

As soon as Shen Jue entered the library, he headed straight for the fourth floor.

The fourth floor was the highest they were allowed to access.

Although Liu Xuan had said he would practice martial arts, he was really just accompanying Shen Jue. He followed Shen Jue up to the fourth floor, sticking close, afraid that Shen Jue might disappear from his sight. Shen Jue glanced at Liu Xuan, a little helpless. “Don’t you need to find a technique for yourself?”

Liu Xuan gave an awkward smile. “I’ll see what you pick first.”

Shen Jue had no choice but to turn back and focus on finding the book he needed. He carefully went through every book on the fourth floor until he finally settled on one. As soon as he did, Liu Xuan leaned over and read the title aloud. “Ca… Calamity… Heart… Method?” He frowned. “What’s that?”

Shen Jue flipped to the first page, reading as he spoke to Liu Xuan. “It’s for strengthening the body.”

“Oh, that sounds suitable for you.” Since Shen Jue had chosen his book, Liu Xuan started looking for his own. Having gone through all the books on the fourth floor with Shen Jue earlier, he found none he particularly liked, so he went down to the third floor.

Once Liu Xuan had left, Shen Jue turned to the last page of the book.

The Calamity Heart Method actually had two volumes. The first volume was indeed for strengthening the body, helping the practitioner become much healthier. But what Shen Jue really wanted was the second volume, the true Calamity Heart Method—a technique that could help a Celestial Body escape their fate.

The reason Celestial Bodies were so coveted by martial artists was that their internal energy could be absorbed by others. The Calamity Heart Method not only allowed a Celestial Body to retain their own energy but also to drain energy from others. In short, the Calamity Heart Method was a sinister art, and its second volume was kept on the top floor.

Shen Jue knew this because of Sang Xinghe.

After Sang Xinghe saw through the hypocrisy of the so-called righteous martial world, he had stayed on Ten Ultimates Island for a time with the Island Master. During that period, he often spent time in the library and had discovered the second volume of the Calamity Heart Method on the top floor.

The Island Master also knew about the book and had said to Sang Xinghe, “The creator of this technique was a Celestial Body, so it’s not suitable for ordinary people—only Celestial Bodies can practice it. But this cannot be allowed to spread.”

Sang Xinghe was taken aback. “Why not? With this, Celestial Bodies would never have to fear others again.”

The Island Master gave a cynical smile. “Though Celestial Bodies appear submissive, they are deeply discontent inside. If this technique were to fall into their hands, it would surely stir up a bloody storm in the martial world. A Celestial Body can only give their energy to one person, but with this technique, they could drain the energy of many.”

At that time, Shen Jue had already become a spirit, which was how he overheard this.

He looked at the last page of the first volume. By itself, the book gave no hint of a second volume, but Shen Jue had to obtain it. Otherwise, against Sang Xinghe, he would have no chance of victory—let alone with the Island Master lurking like a tiger waiting to pounce. If Sang Xinghe showed any softness toward him, the Island Master would likely kill Shen Jue before he could even make a move.

In the days that followed, Shen Jue went to the library every day. The books couldn’t be taken out; they could only be read inside. So, for the next two months, he practically lived in the library. Seeing how devoted Shen Jue was to martial arts, Liu Xuan was infected and began practicing earnestly as well.

By the time Shen Jue finished practicing the first volume of the Calamity Heart Method, his eighteenth birthday had quietly arrived.

Strangely enough, the first volume of the Calamity Heart Method was supposed to strengthen the body, but after finishing it, Shen Jue didn’t become stronger. Instead, he became even more frail and delicate. Liu Xuan looked at him and felt that one gust of wind would snap Shen Jue’s waist.

Shen Jue also noticed the change. He could feel that his internal energy was deeper than before, but his appearance had grown more slender—contrary to what the book described. Had he practiced it wrong?

In contrast, Liu Xuan had recently grown taller. The two of them had been the same height, but in just three months, Liu Xuan was half a head taller than Shen Jue. Liu Xuan attributed this to Shen Jue’s picky eating and would constantly shove fatty meat into his bowl during meals. “Eat more. Eat more so you can grow taller.”

Shen Jue frowned at the sight of the fatty meat. He silently buried all the fat under his rice and only ate the greens on top.

Liu Xuan was about to say something when voices came from outside.